Me Blogging

So I am finally blogging..

After endless efforts to create a Website that is not static with the aesthetic and feel of a museum catalogue- Sean O' Tooles' words: A Stevenson Catalogue ;) I have decided that for starters a blog might be a more accurate depiction of who I am and what I am about..

I am approaching it as a diary of sorts I guess.. as well as a website to showcase my art..

All over the show already (but with purpose)- so you probably get a good sense of me -Great start ;).

Speaking of Sean O' Toole: He is quite a name in the South African art writer and critic scene.. and the man intimidates my pants off!

Despite this he comes across as a gentle, soft and super intelligent man.

I came to the conclusion that he intimidates me only because he is a good writer, and he can express in one  sentence what I express in a rambling essay that needs deciphering and a shit load of patience.

I have never been great at expressing my ideas and thoughts around art very well.

The result is I hate interviews..of any kind..

I never ever read or listen to an article or interview held about my art more than once.

I box that shit!

Hey! Maybe this will even help with my writing skills..

And maybe, just maybe I will have my own personal blogger one day!

My life in a nutshell :

I am an artist.

I changed my name as an artwork legally from Roelien Brink to William Kentridge (he is a well know South African artist) just after my Fine Arts Degree at WITS University in 2007. Please Google our names for now till I make a post about this later on- and excuse the interviews- I was 22! and fresh outa Art School!

                                                       

         ...photo by Merwelene v.d Merwe for De Kat magazine for some article I did not read ;)...

I got married on 5 March 2011.

...me and Rich getting hitched ;)...

I became a mom to a beautiful almost 3 year old boy on the 26th of  March 2012.

...the day my universe changed...

...in the middle between baby and toddler...

...in between the middle of baby and toddler and toddler...

...ok I promise- the last one.. toddler Luke!...

I have made little art for a while when Luke was a baby. (He started play school at the beginning of this year till 12:30am)  and I am doing 6 things at a time as per usual ;).. Re the need for a blog.

I moved from Johannesburg to Cape Town with Luke and his dad on the first of October 2013.

I am separated from Luke's dad since January 2014 ..we are still great friends and I adore him! Yay!

I am busy with a painting exhibition in make up for later this year (I will post progress and more about this.)

I am building the biggest artwork I have made yet- a 120m sculpture for Afrikaburn festival for the end of April 2015! (My biggest project to date). I have an amazing team of builders behind me with great skill..and it really has become all of our project.

I have a studio in Woodstock, Cape Town, down the road from my house..

What I do:

Art- Anything from painting, sculpture, drawing to Installation and conceptual work.

I believe true greatness does not make one conform - Idea first-then medium follows.

Favourites:

Food: Oysters/Dim Sum/waffles/anything green!

Drink: Champagne/Whiskey/Tea-all teas! Especially Green tea! #ilovegreen

Best Combo at The Creamery in Observatory or Newlands, Cape Town #wishyouwerehere.

       ...a Dim Sum Bar!!!! #gottalovecapetown...  

Writer: Charles Bukowski

Films: Mostly anything 90's.. Natural born killers..What's eating Gilbert Grape.. Pulp fiction.. Kill Bill.. Fight Club.. Love art films with lots of symbolism..also British for comedy.. Don't mind sub titles- recently watched Broken Circle Breakdown and luuuurved it!

Music: 90's (Anything Alanis to Fatboy Slim),  Electro, Bluegrass, Love Eminem! Leonard Cohen must be my favourite- would want to listen to him till the very end! Too many to mention..! 

Fashion: I love fashion- fav brand..Diesel and Celine.. Fav designer.. Vivienne Westwood. I love statement fashion!

...and I forgot to mention quirky jewellery...

I also like tattoos, and am so proud of mine :D

So I never thought I would get tattoos again after the one before this one.. This one was done over the scar of the previous tattoo. The previous tattoo I did not really think about and got it done very young. I almost immediately regretted it, and could not live with it. Impatient me would also not wait to laser it off- I had plastic surgery to take it off immediately. The result was it left me with a scar. Before I went for a last surgery to make the scar smaller, I realised that it would always be a scar,and always be ugly.  I thought about the first tattoo and what it taught me. I decided that I wanted to cover my stupid mistake with something beautiful. I felt like scratching it off- I love crayon, and came up with this.. Stefan Draak the tattoo artist is a true legend. He just drew- I had no design. He did all my tattoos. :D. Follow him on Instagram @die_draak!

This tattoo! So painful (childbirth came to mind throughout the entire process) haha! When Stefan did it we were both super nervous- he because he never before drew a permanent straight line, and me because I did not think I would get more tattoos- what was happening to me! He nailed it! The line goes down to about my middle.

I always wanted a tattoo over my heart- I was trying to think why I want a tattoo over my heart. I figured it is because it is passionate and emotional heart! #Boom! My heart exploding!

This tattoo was so much fun- #hashtag! I hashtag everything ;)

Animals: I love animals.. My dawgs!    

                               

                                                                    Hansie and Ellie

Holiday: Camping in the bush!- I love Africa and I love the Kruger Park and Botswana. There is literally no other way I will spend holiday time.. I grew up with a love for wildlife and my dad is a farmer.

                                                             ... A Botswana Sunset...

...Our camp spot on my dad's farm in Botswana has a view over a huge pan where we often see Kudu or Springbok drinking water in the mornings.It is rural and wild..and at night if you take a torch there is often herds of Wildebeest grazing around you. There eyes reflecting all around you if you move your torch over the landscape...

...some Meerkats...

I also did not mention- I run.. I love running. Running clears my head. If I don't run I am the worst possible person- If I do run, I am the best ;)

For fun every day I run, I take a pic on my phone of the last song playing on VH1 or DMX at the gym- I post the pic on Instagram with the song title and a pic of the video.

This last song usually plays in my head the entire day after gym, and I thought I would share them with you. Maybe it can play in your head too ;)

Follw me on Instagram!

Back to art..

Artists from back in the day that changed my idea of what art is/should be: Van Gogh, Duchamp.

I think one can see a Van Gogh influence in this large painting I did back in the day when I was 16 :). I still love my old school work!

Art/ists of my time that I think is great: Quite a few- I will have to blog about this in future..

Quotes:

''Good artists borrow, Great artists Steal''- Pablo Picasso
''She wanted the whole world or nothing''- Charles Bekowski

...This quote explains my life in one sentence- something I really can't do ;)...

Things I collect:

Anything Vintage- I love Retro!

Here is a retro display cabinet I bought for R120 (no jokes)!

Did I mention I luuuuurv a bargain :)

..and this heater...

                       
Ceramics (a big luuuurv- art, dawgs, cats, teacups and pots, cookie jars!)

...Bambi...

...Cookie Jars!...

A Pink cat my mom's mom owned- and my aunt gave it to me after I made it very clear that I love it. I was 14 when she gave it to me :) #100happydayz

...and a small little green cat:

..and a blue Dawg..

...and his friend...

...and his friend...

...and did I mention art...

Here's some:

First artwork I ever bough: Robert Hodgins

Artwork I fought hardest for to get ;): An Ed Young Oil.

This is some of the things I do..some of the things I am about..and some of the beautiful material things I appreciate and (need ;)- I know they won't die with me- so what.. I am living , and whilst I am they should surround me!!!!

I have now read this blog post about a hundred times-and every time I see mistakes and think of more shit I can add.. there is always more shit I can add..

I will be posting all that shit in furture.

#soeverybodyjustfollowme #'causeweneedalittlecontroversy #'causeitfeelssoemptywithoutme;)!!!!

xxxx

R.